TimeTeamOfficial
patreon
Word of the Day #2: Absolute Dating
🕑 Added 2021-08-17 14:31:07 +0000 UTCNope, this isn't the name of a brand new dating service that Time Team is launching. In fact it has more to do with timber than Tinder.
In our bid to turn all our Patrons into crossword champions, we're sharing interesting words, phrases and terminology, as and when they crop up in conversation. Today's example is inspired by our new Masterclass from Dr Andy Moir on dendrochronology (another great word to add to the dictionary).
Absolute dating is the concept of dating a certain feature or structure with pinpoint accuracy, as opposed to a more general time frame. In the case of dendrochronology, when the right conditions are met, we can determine the exact year that a tree was felled.
See the Masterclass to find out how it works...
Comments
Alan Roberts
The "Aston Ambrus"
Jude Edling
Didn't you consult an archeoastronomer when you were in Spain investigating a Beeker site?
Time Team
Thanks for the idea Mary-Helen, it's an interesting area that we might explore further in future. We've mentioned the Bronze Age 'Nebra Sky Disk' in a few recent conversations. The gold and tin it contains have been traced back to sources in Cornwall – not too far from the Iron Age settlement we're investigating very soon!
Mary-Helen Armour
Actually when it comes to word of the day I have a word I would like to suggest. Archeoastronomy. There have been many mentions of how churches and graves at aligned to sunrises, but there are rich traditions of aligning to various sunrise and sunsets in many ancient Monuments yet I never saw a time team that dug into it more.
Douglas Boyle
It's a crying shame because I would love to date an archaeologist!
